A Fairy Tale Ending
by Jezebel1
Summary: [JMPR; angst] Jarod writes Miss Parker a story...


Disclaimer: I do not own the television show "The Pretender". It belongs to TNT and 20'th Century Fox. I do not mean to claim ownership in any way shape or form. This was made strictly for entertainment enjoyment.  
  
centerA Fairy Tale Ending/center  
  
brShe had missed him. She could feel it in her bones. Somehow whenever she missed Jarod she could tell even before she had physical proof. She'd tried explaining this to Sydney and Broots once and both had told her there hadn't been more then three times she hadn't missed Jarod. They were missing the point. There was a difference between missing him and missing him. Just missing him was when he'd been gone for a few good hours; she hadn't even come close. Missing him was when she watched him drive away right in front of her. Probably in her car too.  
  
brStill she walked with Sydney and Broots into the hotel; maybe she would be able to search his room or question the manager about him. It was better then just turning around and admitting defeat straight out.  
  
brThe minute the car stopped Miss Parker had the door open and her foot on the ground. She didn't have to tell Syd and Broots to follow her, she knew they would. Behind them she heard Sam and the rest of the regular sweepers following in step with her into the hotel. Somewhere inside of her she knew she should just tell them to wait in the car, Jarod was gone anyway, but again that would be admitting defeat. And a Parker never admitted defeat; it was unacceptable.  
  
brWithout thought she walked to the front desk and pushed herself to the front of the short line. Somehow people didn't question her, even when she was being uncommonly rude.  
  
br "Did a person named Jarod Something just check out of this hotel?" she asked hastily. A little voice in the back of her mind still chide her for being the way she was, acting the way she did, so much like her father. She didn't know how it had survived after all this time, but it had.  
  
brThe tall, pretty, blond front desk clerk gave her a look of obvious jealousy. "You're Miss Parker then?" She nodded quickly. "Dr. Seuss told me to give you his room key when he checked out about five minutes ago." The blond glared at her. "Here," she said and handed her the thin piece of plastic. "Room 948, ninth floor."  
  
brWithout recognizing any thanks whatsoever she took the room key and headed swiftly to the long line of gold elevators. Stepping on she let a small inner smile appear: Dr. Seuss. Jarod did always have a sense of humor she could understand.  
  
brOnce the elevator stopped at the ninth floor Miss Parker stepped out and walked to the right where a sign told her rooms 940 through 999 were located. Once she reached the door that said "948" on it she unlocked the door and stepped inside. It was empty, of course. The bed was unmade yet tidy some how and the garbage can near the door was half way full with pez wrappers and newspaper clippings.  
  
br "Syd, you and Broots search the hotel restaurant and drug store, see if he lingered for some reason then check with the manager and see if he said anything about his next move." She knew Jarod hadn't, Syd and Broots knew it too, but no one argued. "Sam, you and the rest go around the block." Sam nodded mutely and led the small team of armed men towards the elevators again.  
  
br "You're going to search the room?" Broots asked before he and Sydney left. She nodded and walked into the room.  
  
brJust as the front door closed a small, black Dictaphone sitting on the polished wooden desk caught her eye. Smiling to herself she walked to it and pressed play. "Hello Miss Parker," Jarod's voice came out of the machine, "You've missed me, again. Sorry didn't mean to rub it in. To apologize further Dr. Seuss has created a story for you reading entertainment. You'll find it in the bedside table drawer right next to the bible. Enjoy!"  
  
br "What sick, twisted idea has Jarod's sick, twisted mind come up with this time?" Miss Parker muttered as she walked towards the bed. Inside the drawer she found a small pile of typing paper with the words "Chains, by Dr. Seuss" carefully typed on the first sheet.  
  
brShe sat down on the bed and began to read…  
  
brOnce upon a time there was a prince and a princess. They'd lived in a big, powerful castle since they were little children. Demons kept them there putting bars on the windows and chains on the wrists and ankles forcing them to stay there. They were trapped and didn't know how to escape.  
  
brThe demons gave extra punishment to the prince: they made him where masks. He was never allowed to show his real face because the more masks he wore made the demons and their castle all the more powerful.  
  
brThe prince and the princess were not allowed to talk. But once they met they found ways to speak to one another without the demons finding out. They lived in towers side by side and try as they might they could never make there hands touch; the bars always stopped them.  
  
brSoon the prince decided he would escape. Some how, some way he would leave the castle and be free. One day the demons came to his tower and told him to put on a mask. For the first time the prince said no. The demons could do nothing. And the prince realized that the power the demons seemed to have over him was an illusion. He walked to the window and put his hand through. It was as if the bars weren't there. He was free. Without a second thought he left.  
  
brThe prince ventured out into the world and met people and saw things he'd never known existed. Once discovery that was particularly nice was a candy called pez. Through all his new findings, though, the prince always wore a mask. Never letting anyone see his true face; his true self. Only one person knew his real self and that was the princess.  
  
brAlthough he did think of the princess often, he didn't feel a need to worry about her. She was smart, smart enough to realize the bars, the chains, the demons, the castle itself weren't real. But soon he realized she didn't see it, she didn't understand she could be free. And more then that he missed her. He wasn't quite himself without her.  
  
brSo he returned to the princess.  
  
brThe prince saw her sitting at the window. She was sad, he could tell right away, but her anguish was hidden by anger.  
  
br "Princess!" he called. "Princess hello!" He smiled at her, but she frowned at him in return.  
  
brTurning away from him she replied, "Prince, go away. I don't wish to see you. You remind me of things I want to forget."  
  
brNow this prince was very persistent and wasn't about to be pushed away by her façade of hatred. Thinking perhaps she didn't like the mask he was wearing, he tore it off and replaced it with another more beautiful one. "But, Princess, you don't have to stay in your tower. You can be free."  
  
brHer buried sadness shown through for less then a second before she turned away from him again. "I am not as strong as you, Prince. The chains on my wrists and ankles are stronger then I am and the bars on my window are stronger still."  
  
br "No, they're not strong at all." He laughed at the simplicity she seemed to miss. "Princess your captures are weak, so much weaker then you. They are barely real if you don't want them to be. Nothing keeps you were you are."  
  
br "The demons will stop me, Prince. I'm afraid of what they can do to me." Suddenly he realized she was scared. How in the world she could be afraid of such a sham he couldn't understand, but she was terrified of the demons.  
  
br "But don't you understand. Don't you understand how strong you are? How weak what holds you is? They won't be real if you don't let them!" Why didn't she understand?  
  
br "No!" she screamed at him. "They have always been here! These bars," she gestured to the thick iron bars on the windows, "They are real! These chains," she shook her chains making them clang together, "these are real! The demons that watch my every move, this castle that imprisons me," she gestured all around herself, "all of it is real!" Her voice quieted to a mere whisper, "They have to be."  
  
brThe story was cut off as if it was missing the last page. How could Jarod be so sick and twisted as to end it there? She was broken out of her reverie by the shrill sound of her cell phone ringing.  
  
br "What?" Even to her, her voice sounded different. It had lost it's edge.  
  
brShe heard a light laugh. "Obviously you've read the story." It was time's like this she hated how Jarod could read her mind. Even over the phone!  
  
br "It's missing the last page, Jarod," she said. For once she didn't care if she sounded all mean and nasty, if she kept up her façade.  
  
br "It's in the other bedside table drawer." And then he was gone.  
  
brWithout thought she went to the other side of the bed and took out the last page and began to read again…  
  
1 brEven the prince, with all his persistence, didn't know if he could make her realize that she could break free of her chains. Finally he ripped off his mask and climbed the tower to her. He ignored her protests and went through the window. Through the bars.  
  
brHe held out his hand to her. "You are strong, Princess," he whispered. "Come."  
  
brAnd with both their masks forgotten, she did.  
  
brIt was then she realized three tears had fallen down her cheek. "But Jarod…" she sighed, "The bars look so real."  
  
brMiss Parker felt a warm hand wipe away he tears and push her chin up to look at it's owner. "Come," he whispered.  
  
brAnd both their masks forgotten, she did. 


End file.
